The invention disclosed herein relates to toy objects equipped with a radiating (wave) energy (e.g., light) projector, a radiated energy detector, or both, which may be configured as action figures (including dolls), robots, vehicles, etc., and which are manipulatable by a human player, or by remote control, to play a shooting game in which the toy objects are the participants.
Toys for playing a shooting game in which human players are the participants are currently available, for example, from Toymax Inc. of Plainview, N.Y. under the trademark "Laser Challenge". The following U.S. patent applications, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference, relate to toy light projecting and/or detecting guns and targets marketed by Toymax Inc.: 08/795,895, filed Feb. 5, 1997, titled "Interactive Light-Operated Toy Shooting Game"; Ser. No. 08/871,248, filed Jun. 9, 1997, titled "Interactive Toy Shooting Game Having A Feelable Output"; Ser. No. 09/15,863, filed Jan. 29, 1998, titled "Player Programmable, Interactive Toy For A Shooting Game"; and Ser. No. 09/19,747, filed Feb. 6, 1998, titled "Computer Programmable, Interactive Toy For A Shooting Game". These applications are referred to below as "the cited patent applications".
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,375,847 and 4,844,474 discloses toys which detect light fired from a gun operated by a human player. In the '847 patent, the toy is a toy soldier which topples when hit. In the '474 patent, the toy is a vehicle which mechanically explodes when hit.
The patent applications and patents identified above disclose apparatus used by at least one player as a direct participant in a shooting game, whereas the invention herein relates to toy objects in the form of toy action figures, robots, vehicles, etc., which are the game participants and are provided with shooting and detecting apparatus. Of course, children have long used passive toy objects as participants in shooting games simulated entirely by imagination, i.e., a child manipulates the toy object, provides sound effects and determines in his or her imagination whether the toy object hit the intended target. As disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,140, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, sound effects and speech may be provided to such otherwise passive toy objects. However, there is no interactivity between these passive toy pieces.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,840,602 and 4,857,030 disclose toy dolls which each generate voice messages to which the other apparently responds. Though there is apparent interactivity between the dolls, a child is more of an observer than a participant in that interactivity.
In today's hi tech environment, where electronic toys are ubiquitous, and electronic and computer games are being played by younger and younger children, non-interactive and purely mechanical toys have little play value for use in a shooting game. More realism with less imagination is needed to attract and hold the attention of modern children. At the same time, electronics and high tech in toys are frequently accompanied by high cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,483 discloses a multi-vehicle interactive toy system comprising military tanks controlled wirelessly with a joystick that shoot and detect infrared ("IR") light. The toy objects disclosed in the '483 patent are required to perform interactive tasks under remote control, and likely are relatively expensive and may be difficult for younger children to operate. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,658.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,872 discloses a spaceship toy also controlled by a joystick (though not wirelessly) that fires light at targets embedded in a screen. The targets disclosed in the '872 patent do not move, and do not shoot back. Also, the space ship does not include a detector for detecting light shot at the space ship. Although the toy disclosed in the '872 patent is interactive, i.e., the targets on the screen detect light shot at them and indicate hits, a game played with a stationary screen is not very realistic or interactive, especially after playing a few games.